An engaging memoir for many reasons, but most compelling for me based on its power to connect generations. If you'd enjoy expanding your dialogue with a friend or family member who grew up in the 1920s to 1940s, or simply want to give them a gift that may serve as a catalyst for sharing those memories, this book is a treasure.
Raleigh author Elaine Luddy Klonicki chronicles the life of her mother, Angela Courtney Luddy. Mrs. Luddy, still vibrant in her 90s, contributed much to this true story woven around the love letters Elaine's father, Bill, wrote to Angela.
Their story is a fascinating reversal of the more typical scenario in which a young man leaves his loved ones behind to enter military service. Angela was first to depart their Altoona, Pa., hometown, leaving for Manhattan to pursue her dream to study fashion design. Bill's letters to Angela reveal a tender and determined man who has made up his mind that Angela is the woman for him; his exasperation because she has other priorities (and suitors) is expressed with heartwarming wit. Written as Bill completed college in Pennsylvania and then was a "90-Day Wonder" in expedited Navy officer training in the Hudson Bay, the 50+ letters inspire and delight.
My first tears came in the intro, as Elaine talked about how writing the book taught her about her strong mother's "softer side" and again in the first chapter, as Angela described her father's reaction to the run on the banks that launched the Great Depression. I cried as I realized I didn't know those things about my own parents. I laughed out loud more than once.
"All on Account of You" is a tribute to family, faith, enduring values and commitment. It's a 1940s adventure, as the small town couple enjoys Manhattan pleasures such as Frank Sinatra and Guy Lombardo performances and then find ways to enjoy Bill's tour in Key West at a time when the area lacked most of the conveniences then available in much of the U.S.
Having read an excerpt online, I bought "All on Account of You" for a dear 85-year-old friend, hoping she'd have a good time with the memories it would inspire for her and perhaps other members of her retirement community. I picked it up to flip through before delivering it to her. Turns out I couldn't put it down and finished it within a few hours, just in time to deliver it.
